Richard Simmons Death Mystery: Top Forensic Expert Offers Grim New Theory on 'What Really Killed Fitness Guru' After Bruised and Scraped Corpse Found
A forensic expert has told RadarOnline.com his theory on Richard Simmons' mysterious death.
Sept. 6 2024, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Richard Simmons' death was ruled accidental, caused by the "blunt traumatic injuries" he sustained in a fall.
But the fitness guru's final days have been shrouded in mystery since his autopsy report revealed he had scrapes and bruises all over his body, as well as a broken leg, when he died the day after his 76th birthday.
In response to readers seeking clarity on the disturbing details in the report, RadarOnline.com spoke with an expert who reviewed the medical examiner's findings and offered his perspective on the puzzling case.
Simmons was found dead at his Hollywood Hills home on July 13.
Simmons, who disappeared from the public eye in 2014 after a prosperous career as a TV fitness instructor, was found dead at his Hollywood Hills home on July 13.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office released the autopsy report on August 29, ruling the injuries Simmons sustained in a "ground level fall" on an "unknown date" were the primary cause of his death. Coronary heart disease was also listed as a contributing condition.
Along with an illustration showing the injuries covering Simmons from head to toe, the report stated: "There are multiple abrasions and contusions [scrapes and bruises] on the body."
He also had a "palpable fracture" to his left femur – meaning his thighbone was broken.
The autopsy report revealed cuts and bruises covered the fitness guru's body.
Dr. Ron Graeser, a retired forensic pathologist who has worked as a medical examiner in three Michigan counties, does not believe these injuries were severe enough to have killed Simmons. He's sure the details in the autopsy report point to a natural death from heart disease.
Simmons had "terrible coronary arteries", Dr. Graeser said, and therefore "severe, severe, coronary artery sclerosis".
He noted the report showed one artery was 80% blocked and another was 70% blocked, calling these "horrible numbers".
Simmons' death was ruled accidental, caused by his existing injuries with heart disease listed as a contributing condition.
Dr. Graeser told us: "When it's that bad, you will quite often have nausea, you might have pain to your neck and the jaw, but you will definitely feel upset as far as the intestines go, and quite often, people will throw up."
The expert offered his theory on Simmons' grim last moments, saying: "So he's in bed, and he got nauseated and threw up. That's why there's some of this brown fluid on the bed and the floor."
He suspects Simmons then got out of bed to throw up in the bathroom, and, on his way back to bed, fell and broke his femur.
"It's common to break there, especially in older people," he explained, "The bones get weak and brittle and you can just be walking, maybe twist it a little wrong, and boom, snap.
"So then he's on the floor, and it's very hard to move with a broken hip. the pain would be horrendous. And he threw up some on the floor."
Dr. Graeser continued: "So he's lying there...and his heart gave out," adding: "I suspect he died quickly."
As for the injuries on the body, the medical professional said: "It's not enough places to kill you. The injuries that are shown do not kill. For instance, the fracture to the femur. You don't die from a fracture to the femur."
Dr. Graeser believes Simmons died naturally from "severe" heart disease.
The autopsy report showed an abrasion on Simmons' forehead and a contusion on his scalp, but Dr. Graeser said: "These are nothing. If I bump into a cabinet I get that much."
He went on: "If you have injuries that are fatal, for instance on the head, then there would be bleeding in the brain. When they opened the head, there was no bleeding at all in the brain. When they opened the chest, nothing. When they opened the abdomen, nothing.
"Those are the kinds of traumatic injuries you die from. You don't die from getting hit on the elbow or the other things."
The medical expert believes the injuries on Simmons' body were not enough to kill him.
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Dr. Graeser also said the scrapes and bruises were "probably caused when he bumped against things".
He explained: "When he finally broke his femur, he probably fell, and that certainly gives an abrasion and contusion.
"You know, you're not feeling very good when you're having a heart attack and you're vomiting. So I can well imagine that he stumbled into things."
When asked if he thinks Simmons could have sustained all the injuries in a single fall, the doctor replied: "Well, I don't know if you'd get all of them, because they're all over his body.
"But if he fell against the door jamb, and then fell into a chair and then onto the floor, right there you've got three injuries or more."
Ultimately, however, Dr. Graeser concluded there were "not enough injuries there to account for him being dead".
He said it can be tricky to detect a heart attack because "if the heart attack happens and you die soon, you really don't find much in autopsy or even in the microscope".
When we presented Dr. Graeser's theory to the LA Medical Examiner's Office, a spokesperson wrote in an emailed response: "The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner stands by its final determination in Mr. Simmons' case."
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